Roberto Martínez is still in the running for the manager's position at Aston Villa, despite reports linking Paul Lambert with the vacancy, although the Wigan Athletic chairman, Dave Whelan, has suggested that the Spaniard would reject the Midlands club for a second time.

Martínez turned down Villa last summer and recently had talks with Liverpool but that will not be held against the Wigan manager.

However, Whelan had given his manager a deadline of Thursday to decide his future and he told Sky Sports: "He has had some talks with Villa but he's not going to go there. Villa are a fantastic club with great fans, but I never thought they were big enough for him.

"I've said all along that I never thought he would end up there, and, fortunately for us, that's how it has turned out. If Roberto is to go anywhere, it will be to one of the top clubs in Europe. We're just so pleased that he's staying with us for another season."

Lambert was understood to have had a far from amicable meeting with the Norwich City board on Wednesday night and has now joined his Wigan rival as a frontrunner to take charge at Villa Park.

Both Lambert (42) and Martínez (38) match Villa's criteria of wanting a young and ambitious manager with a proven track record of handling a Premiership club. The successful candidate must also be popular with Villa fans after the unfavourable reception the club's previous manager, Alex McLeish, received on his appointment last June.

Lambert is understood to have been angered by Norwich's refusal to allow him to talk to Villa, with the club having previously promised they would fight to retain his services. The Scot guided Norwich to back-to-back promotions before enjoying an impressive first season in the Premier League.

Randy Lerner, the Villa owner, stated when McLeish was sacked that he was looking to bring in a "new manager who sees the club's potential and embraces our collective expectations".